Comedy preview

Ivor Dembina, LondonThis Thursday Jackie Mason is playing Wembley Arena to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the state of Israel, but there's at least one kosher comic who won't be joining in. Jewish comedian Ivor Dembina has been to the West Bank as a volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement (a Palestinian-led group engaged in peaceful resistance to the Israeli occupation) and this Thursday he's staging a show called 60 Years - What a State! "The Palestinians' misery and hardship amid the occupation gives no cause for celebration," says Dembina. "We urge people who care about human rights to give the Wembley gala a red card and back our show." He'll be joined by Jeremy Hardy, Mark Steel, Shazia Mirza and Reginald D Hunter - a fine cross-section of Jewish, gentile, Muslim and African-American opinion. Proceeds will go to groups fighting for human rights in the occupied territories.

· Hampstead Town Hall, NW3, Thu 8

Brighton Festival Fringe, BrightonThe annual Brighton Festival begins today in one of the few locations that can rival Edinburgh, and there's lots of first-class comedy on the Fringe this week and across the three weeks to come. There's a bit of everything, from legendary Bullseye host Jim Bowen in You Can't Beat A Bit Of Bully to kosher crooning from Steve Furst in Lenny Beige Is Alive & Well. There's also conjuring with Ian Keable and record breaking with Woody Bop Muddy, but the best gig of the week is at the Spiegeltent on Wednesday, where you can see three of the finest comics on the circuit. Simon Evans is a deliciously sardonic stand-up with a sharp eye for everyday absurdity, while Scott Capurro is a camp and caustic San Franciscan. However, pick of the bunch is Brighton-based magician Paul Zenon. Zenon is a first-class illusionist, despite his self-deprecating patter, and his stand-up banter is so funny he could easily get by without any tricks at all.

Kevin McAleer, LondonLast week it was Harry Hill. And this week Stewart Lee's new season, The 10 Best Stand-Ups In The World Ever, continues with Kevin McAleer. McAleer has been a familiar figure in his native Ireland but he's not so well known in the UK which, hopefully, will change. "His material has been described as absurd and surreal, but it's actually loosely based on real life," argues Lee. "He once spent months researching schizophrenic language disorders and did a show inside a sleeping bag, completely hidden away from his audience." He'll be joined by Will Adamsdale, who won the Perrier Award in 2004 for his character-based show Jackson's Way. "Leaving the venue after the first time I saw Jackson, I became trapped in a narrow alley behind some wheelie bins and was inexplicably delighted by the experience," recalls Lee.